January 26 A READ EXODUS 21–24
Civil and Ceremonial Laws
OVERVIEW
The law God gave Israel at Sinai falls into three categories: moral laws (Exodus 20), civil and social laws (Exodus 21–23), and religious laws (Exodus 24—Leviticus). Today’s reading contains the laws that comprise the Book of the Covenant (24:7) given along with the Ten Commandments. Following a formal ceremony ratifying the covenant, God summons Moses again to Mount Sinai to receive further revelation.
MY DAILY WALK
Some things bear repeating, and even then they don’t always sink in. God’s word to Israel in the first two commandments could hardly have been clearer: No other gods . . . no idols. Yet he would later repeat those same warnings again and again. He wanted to impress upon his people the importance of his lordship and the necessity for exclusive devotion to the God of Israel.
God knew full well the principle that you eventually worship what you serve. Therefore, whatever or whoever commands your attention becomes your god. Recognizing that fact can help you guard against idolatry. Here are two questions that may point to the real “lord” of your life:
1. What do you think about when your mind is in neutral?
2. What do you do during your idle moments?
Review your own loyalties, and then fill in the blank: “An objective observer of my life over the past week would conclude that ______ is my god.” Is there something that needs to change in your life?
WHERE LAW ENDS, TYRANNY BEGINS.
INSIGHT
A Legal Foundation | Exod. 21:1-36
The Ten Commandments in the previous chapter are not the entire law of Moses, but they form the foundation for all the rest of the laws. The additional commandments (Exodus 21 and following) regulate individual, civil, and religious conduct. The law also set forth a system of sacrifices and a cycle of festivals, through which the Israelites expressed devotion to God as well as their reliance upon him to meet their needs and forgive their sins.
INSIGHT
Forbidden Recipe | Exod. 23:19
The prohibition against cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk (23:19) made little sense to modern scholars until archaeological discoveries revealed that the practice was current in Canaan as a pagan ritual connected with fertility rites. Israel was to avoid all such pagan practices.
INSIGHT
The Wages of Sin | Exod. 24:4-8
Sacrifices were necessary because God’s holiness requires that sin be paid for. The Old Testament animal sacrifices were a provisional substitute payment for the one bringing the sacrifice and allowed sinful people to live in relationship with a holy God (24:4-8). Jesus’ death on the cross did away with the need for this provisional system, since by his death all our sins—past, present, and future—are paid for (Hebrews 10:1-10). Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice was adequate to pay for the sins of the entire world (John 3:16).
Fair Treatment of Slaves
1“These are the regulations you must present to Israel.
2“If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. 3If he was single when he became your slave, he shall leave single. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife must be freed with him.
4“If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. 5But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ 6If he does this, his master must present him before God.* Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.
7“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. 8If she does not satisfy her owner, he must allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. 9But if the slave’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave but as a daughter.
10“If a man who has married a slave wife takes another wife for himself, he must not neglect the rights of the first wife to food, clothing, and sexual intimacy. 11If he fails in any of these three obligations, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment.
Cases of Personal Injury
12“Anyone who assaults and kills another person must be put to death. 13But if it was simply an accident permitted by God, I will appoint a place of refuge where the slayer can run for safety. 14However, if someone deliberately kills another person, then the slayer must be dragged even from my altar and be put to death.
15“Anyone who strikes father or mother must be put to death.
16“Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves.
17“Anyone who dishonors* father or mother must be put to death.
18“Now suppose two men quarrel, and one hits the other with a stone or fist, and the injured person does not die but is confined to bed. 19If he is later able to walk outside again, even with a crutch, the assailant will not be punished but must compensate his victim for lost wages and provide for his full recovery.
20“If a man beats his male or female slave with a club and the slave dies as a result, the owner must be punished. 21But if the slave recovers within a day or two, then the owner shall not be punished, since the slave is his property.
22“Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely.* If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. 23But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, 24an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.
26“If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye and the eye is blinded, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. 27And if a man knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.
28“If an ox* gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be held liable. 29But suppose the ox had a reputation for goring, and the owner had been informed but failed to keep it under control. If the ox then kills someone, it must be stoned, and the owner must also be put to death. 30However, the dead person’s relatives may accept payment to compensate for the loss of life. The owner of the ox may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded.
31“The same regulation applies if the ox gores a boy or a girl. 32But if the ox gores a slave, either male or female, the animal’s owner must pay the slave’s owner thirty silver coins,* and the ox must be stoned.
33“Suppose someone digs or uncovers a pit and fails to cover it, and then an ox or a donkey falls into it. 34The owner of the pit must pay full compensation to the owner of the animal, but then he gets to keep the dead animal.
35“If someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the injured ox dies, then the two owners must sell the live ox and divide the price equally between them. They must also divide the dead animal. 36But if the ox had a reputation for goring, yet its owner failed to keep it under control, he must pay full compensation—a live ox for the dead one—but he may keep the dead ox.